Videos inform locals of parish services, teach safe practices

Published: Sunday, July 22, 2012 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, July 22, 2012 at 12:05 a.m.

In April, the Terrebonne Parish Council hired California-based Dreamsite Production Inc. to produce several educational videos for the public. The cost of production was roughly $35,000.

The videos, which can be viewed at www.tpcg.org, aim to teach residents how to address certain issues and the proper, safe way to perform household duties.

Topics range from emergency preparedness to reporting a nuisance to obtaining a building permit.

Opinions varied in response to The Courier asking on Facebook whether the videos were worth the cost.

Dustin Leonard, 26, of Houma said the videos were a waste of money.

“I slept during educational videos as a child. It takes a person that knows how to teach in a variety of ways to reach out and help each and every student. Videos show one way to do things or the ‘right way,’” Leonard said. “But there are many ways to do things the ‘right way,’ so I find videos wasteful.”

Leonard said he had to watch training videos for an offshore job and forgot the information “as soon as I walked out of the room.”

“I learned on the job,” Leonard said.

But Houma resident Jeremy Verrett, 31, said he doesn’t find anything wrong with the videos.

“I watched all of the videos. They were very informative without being boring. It’s money well spent as long as the (Terrebonne Parish consolidated government) does a good job notifying the public that these videos are available,” Verrett said.

Andrea Dupree, Dreamsite project manager and associate producer, who was on the team that worked on the videos, agrees with Verrett about informing the public of the films’ existence.

“When people read that something is educational, they forget that educational isn’t always boring,” Dupree said. “We’re happy to get the word out and get people to see them.”

Each begins with a skit, a scenario residents may be familiar with, like the conversation between a husband and wife considering home improvement projects. When one has an idea that isn’t correct or safe, a stop sign flashes across the screen, followed by a parish official with expert advice on how to install a culvert, dispose of hazardous materials or report a nuisance.

The idea for the videos first surfaced near the end of Parish President Michel Claudet’s first term late last year.

“We had budgeted money, and we decided to do educational videos on various topics. They came out really well, so we did the same thing for this year,” Claudet said. “We believe that if people watch these videos this will give them a better understanding of services that we provide.”

<p>In April, the Terrebonne Parish Council hired California-based Dreamsite Production Inc. to produce several educational videos for the public. The cost of production was roughly $35,000.</p><p>The videos, which can be viewed at www.tpcg.org, aim to teach residents how to address certain issues and the proper, safe way to perform household duties.</p><p>Topics range from emergency preparedness to reporting a nuisance to obtaining a building permit. </p><p>Opinions varied in response to The Courier asking on Facebook whether the videos were worth the cost. </p><p>Dustin Leonard, 26, of Houma said the videos were a waste of money. </p><p>“I slept during educational videos as a child. It takes a person that knows how to teach in a variety of ways to reach out and help each and every student. Videos show one way to do things or the 'right way,'” Leonard said. “But there are many ways to do things the 'right way,' so I find videos wasteful.” </p><p>Leonard said he had to watch training videos for an offshore job and forgot the information “as soon as I walked out of the room.” </p><p>“I learned on the job,” Leonard said. </p><p>But Houma resident Jeremy Verrett, 31, said he doesn't find anything wrong with the videos. </p><p>“I watched all of the videos. They were very informative without being boring. It's money well spent as long as the (Terrebonne Parish consolidated government) does a good job notifying the public that these videos are available,” Verrett said. </p><p>Andrea Dupree, Dreamsite project manager and associate producer, who was on the team that worked on the videos, agrees with Verrett about informing the public of the films' existence. </p><p>“When people read that something is educational, they forget that educational isn't always boring,” Dupree said. “We're happy to get the word out and get people to see them.” </p><p>Each begins with a skit, a scenario residents may be familiar with, like the conversation between a husband and wife considering home improvement projects. When one has an idea that isn't correct or safe, a stop sign flashes across the screen, followed by a parish official with expert advice on how to install a culvert, dispose of hazardous materials or report a nuisance. </p><p>The idea for the videos first surfaced near the end of Parish President Michel Claudet's first term late last year. </p><p>“We had budgeted money, and we decided to do educational videos on various topics. They came out really well, so we did the same thing for this year,” Claudet said. “We believe that if people watch these videos this will give them a better understanding of services that we provide.”</p>